Not the Vincent (van Gogh) of song fame, but the Vincent D’Onofrio that I have been following since I saw him in his tight jeans and long blond hair mistakenly i.d.’d as Thor by a young Thor devotee in Adventures in Babysitting. Yea, how many of you knew that he played that bit part? Snaps for me!

Lately I have been craving not Vincent himself, but his Det. Goren persona on Law and Order, Criminal Intent. I can generally only do a few episodes in a sitting because they keep me awake at night worrying about being carried out in a body bag and quite frankly, I had enough of that in my first marriage. But it is that intellect that draws me back. That omniscient knowledge of everything. And it is the intensity with which he fulfills his role. The same sort of intensity he drew out of himself as Abbie Hoffman.

I have been analyzing why I am drawn to his character and I recall a statement made by the clinical director at a residential drug and alcohol treatment center I worked at. I was registering a concern with him about a co-worker who was making odd comments and creeping me out. He told me very emphatically that the only difference between us and them was that we had keys.

I believe that Det. Goren has that same sort of “right on the edge and fully capable of committing the very crimes he solves with the same sort of criminal intent that the perpetrators he tracks down possess”. That’s what makes him so good. So bravo to Vincent D. for his brilliant portrayal of this masterfully-written and well-defined character.

By way of disclosing even more intimate details about my personal life, it might interest you to know that when I play Hearts on my computer, I do not play with the standard issue North, South, East and West. I play with Vincent D’Onofrio, Jim Halpert (John Krasinsky’s character on The Office) and Gregory Peck. How loud does that scream, gun-shy divorcee holed up on her small flat with her Maine Coon/Ragdoll, who, btw, is named Mr. Reginald Fitzwilliam Darcy after my other boyfriend from Pride and Prejudice.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it may take a good deal of chamomile to get me to sleep tonight.